DOCSLIB.ORG

The Flight of Daedalus Long, Long Ago Lived a Proud and Terrible King

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Flight of Daedalus Long, Long Ago Lived a Proud and Terrible King The Flight of Daedalus Long, long ago lived a proud and terrible king. His name was Minos. With a fist of iron, he ruled the kingdom of Crete. Daedalus, another proud man, also lived on the island of Crete. He was a sculptor and a builder. He may have been the finest builder of his time. Daedalus built many fine buildings for King Minos. The most famous structure that Daedalus built for Minos was the Labyrinth. It was designed as a prison and a trap. No one could find a 'way out of its passageways without knowing the design. Minos imprisoned his enemies there. One day Minos became very angry with Daedalus. The builder had given away the secret of the Labyrinth. In anger, Minos imprisoned Daedalus in the Labyrinth. Within a short time, however, Daedalus managed to escape. Minos had been foolish to imagine that Daedalus could not escape from his own trap. The sculptor found his son, Icarus, and planned to flee from Crete. But Minos was determined to recapture Daedalus. The king's soldiers searched all the ships before they left the island. Minos knew that Daedalus and Icarus were hiding in the countryside, but he didn't care. He was sure that Daedalus and Icarus could not escape from Crete. So Minos decided to let Daedalus wander free for a while. "Soon the master builder will realize that he is trapped here. He will have to admit that he is in my power and will give himself up. Then I will give him many difficult tasks to perform." Daedalus tried many times to find a way to escape from the island. He stood on the rocky hills of Crete and stared out to sea. Above him, the sea gulls and other sea birds wheeled and dipped in the sky. Below, the sun glistened on the water in the harbor and on the helmets of Minos’ soldiers. Daedalus could see the trap that Minos had set "I cannot let Minos get the better of me," he thought. "I must escape with my son. There must be a way off the island." At times, Daedalus feared that he and his son would be captives on Crete forever. But his quick mind kept searching for a way out. As he pondered, he watched the many birds that soared high in the blue sky. Suddenly, Daedalus was struck by a thought. "Minos may rule the land and sea, but he cannot control the air!" Daedalus said, as he watched feathers drop from the wings of the sea gulls. He quickly sent his son Icarus in search of stray sea-gull feathers. Icarus found tiny, soft feathers. He picked up long, strong feathers. He gathered black plumes and white ones. He found blue feathers and brown feathers. Soon, Icarus had made a great mound of feathers of all kinds. Then Daedalus set to work. He built a large wooden frame shaped like a bird's wing. He fastened feathers to it. Some he sewed on; others he stuck on with wax. Finally, he used wax to mold all the feathers into shape. Once he had finished this frame, he made another one and covered it with feathers, too. Now, he had two huge wings, like those of a giant bird. Daedalus fastened the wings to his shoulders. Would they work? He flapped the wings and tried to fly. After some minutes, the wings lifted him from the ground. He could fly! But Daedalus soon learned that there was more to flying than flapping his wings. He had to learn to swoop, to soar on the winds, to turn and gather speed. With all haste, Daedalus made wings for Icarus. Icarus watched gleefully as his father sewed and glued the feathers in place. Icarus could scarcely wait to put on the wonderful wings. At last, the wings were finished. Daedalus fastened them to his son's shoulders. Icarus looked very handsome. The beautiful wings covered his entire body. His golden hair shone in the sunlight, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. Icarus learned to fly in no time. He seemed to have been born to it. His father, knowing how daring Icarus could be, warned him often to be careful. "Don't fly too close to the water," he would say. "The fog will weigh you down. And don't fly close to the sun. Its warmth will melt the wax on your wings." Icarus listened impatiently to his father's warnings. He thought, “I can take care of myself!" One fair morning, Daedalus said, “The wind is just right today. We shall fly to Sicily."3 Strapping on their wings, Daedalus and Icarus walked to the top of a rocky hill. Daedalus flapped his huge wings, rose in the air, and flew out over the sea. Icarus lifted himself with his wings and followed. Minos could never catch them now! Daedalus headed out over the ocean, peating the · air· strongly and surely. Icarus swooped and turned as he followed his father. Flying free in the air, Icarus knew the joy of being a bird. He looked down at the white-capped waves. How wonderful to be soaring above them! Then he looked at the clouds above. How exciting it would be to fly above them! Icarus forgot his father's warnings. Beating his wings faster and faster, he rose up and up. As he flew higher, the sun flickered and gleamed on his feathers. On and on he flew, higher and higher. The sun grew brighter. The air became very warm, but Icarus flew on. As he flew, it became more and more difficult to climb higher. His wings drooped. Feathers began to fall like snowflakes. The sun's heat was melting the wax! Furiously, Icarus beat his wings, but they could no longer support him. As he fell toward the glittering ocean far below, Icarus cried out to his father. Daedalus heard the cry and turned. He caught only a glimpse of his son as Icarus plunged into the white-capped waves. Nothing remained except a few feathers floating on the surface. In deep grief, Daedalus flew on to Sicily. He went to the temple of the sun god Apollo There he hung up his wings as an offering to the god. Daedalus had beaten his enemy, Minos, but at the terrible cost of the life of his son. Perhaps the gods were punishing Daedalus for daring to do something mere mortals were not meant to do: fly with the wings of a bird. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bacchylides 17: Singing and Usurping the Paean Maria Pavlou
    Bacchylides 17: Singing and Usurping the Paean Maria Pavlou ACCHYLIDES 17, a Cean commission performed on Delos, has been the subject of extensive study and is Bmuch admired for its narrative artistry, elegance, and excellence. The ode was classified as a dithyramb by the Alex- andrians, but the Du-Stil address to Apollo in the closing lines renders this classification problematic and has rather baffled scholars. The solution to the thorny issue of the ode’s generic taxonomy is not yet conclusive, and the dilemma paean/ dithyramb is still alive.1 In fact, scholars now are more inclined to place the poem somewhere in the middle, on the premise that in antiquity the boundaries between dithyramb and paean were not so clear-cut as we tend to believe.2 Even though I am 1 Paean: R. Merkelbach, “Der Theseus des Bakchylides,” ZPE 12 (1973) 56–62; L. Käppel, Paian: Studien zur Geschichte einer Gattung (Berlin 1992) 156– 158, 184–189; H. Maehler, Die Lieder des Bakchylides II (Leiden 1997) 167– 168, and Bacchylides. A Selection (Cambridge 2004) 172–173; I. Rutherford, Pindar’s Paeans (Oxford 2001) 35–36, 73. Dithyramb: D. Gerber, “The Gifts of Aphrodite (Bacchylides 17.10),” Phoenix 19 (1965) 212–213; G. Pieper, “The Conflict of Character in Bacchylides 17,” TAPA 103 (1972) 393–404. D. Schmidt, “Bacchylides 17: Paean or Dithyramb?” Hermes 118 (1990) 18– 31, at 28–29, proposes that Ode 17 was actually an hyporcheme. 2 B. Zimmermann, Dithyrambos: Geschichte einer Gattung (Hypomnemata 98 [1992]) 91–93, argues that Ode 17 was a dithyramb for Apollo; see also C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Story of Icarus
    The Story of Icarus King Minos looked out of the window and spotted the boat that his messenger had just mentioned. Ordinarily, he was not interested in those entering or leaving Crete but one of the passengers had been banished from Athens. All reports described him as a genius. He had even fooled Hercules with his inventions. The King smiled; this man was going to be very useful. A short while after Daedalus had arrived on the island of Crete, he was taken to the palace and asked to become the King’s master craftsman. “I have a way to use your skills,” explained the King. “There is a Minotaur who terrorises Crete and we have been unable to contain it. I need you to build a maze that it will not be able to escape from.” Pleased that his reputation had followed him, Daedalus set to work. Helped by his son, Icarus, the pair designed and built an incredible labyrinth. When it was finally finished, the Minotaur was captured and locked away. The people of Crete celebrated and thought that Daedalus and Icarus were heroes. Weeks later, Daedalus was approached by a man named Theseus. He explained to Daedalus that he planned to slay the Minotaur but that he needed Daedalus’s help to navigate the labyrinth. Unable to ignore the idea that this was a truly heroic act, Daedalus agreed. King Minos’s daughter joined them and the three completed their mission before escaping the labyrinth. Immediately, Theseus fled back to Athens with King Minos’s daughter beside him.
    [Show full text]
  • Myth, Ritual, and the Labyrinth of King Minos
    Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History Volume 5 Issue 1 Article 1 4-2015 Myth, Ritual, and the Labyrinth of King Minos Nicole Tessmer St. Louis University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Tessmer, Nicole (2015) "Myth, Ritual, and the Labyrinth of King Minos," Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2015.050101 Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol5/iss1/1 This article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tessmer: Myth, Ritual, and the Labyrinth of King Minos Myth, Ritual, and the Labyrinth of King Minos Nicole Tessmer St. Louis University According to ancient mythology, King Minos built a perplexing labyrinth to house the Minotaur, a monstrous creature to which his wife had given birth. Each year, the myth states, seven girls and seven boys were chosen to enter the labyrinth as tributes to become food for the Minotaur.1 It was not until Theseus entered the labyrinth, and killed the Minotaur that it could be considered a place to leave your childhood behind. Once inside, they wrestled with their demons, experienced a rebirth, and finally, emerged as adults ready to take their places in society. The myth of the labyrinth can thus be understood as a rite of passage or a coming of age ritual in ancient Greece.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Mythology #23: DIONYSUS by Joy Journeay
    Western Regional Button Association is pleased to share our educational articles with the button collecting community. This article appeared in the August 2017 WRBA Territorial News. Enjoy! WRBA gladly offers our articles for reprint, as long as credit is given to WRBA as the source, and the author. Please join WRBA! Go to www.WRBA.us Greek Mythology #23: DIONYSUS by Joy Journeay God of: Grape Harvest, Winemaking, Wine, Ritual Madness, Religious Ecstasy, Fertility and Theatre Home: MOUNT OLYMPUS Symbols: Thyrus, grapevine, leopard skin Parents: Zeus and Semele Consorts: Adriane Siblings: Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces Roman Counterpart: Bacchus, Liber Dionysus’ mother was mortal Semele, daughter of a king of Thebes, and his father was Zeus, king of the gods. Dionysus was the only Olympian god to have a mortal parent. He was the god of fertility, wine and the arts. His nature reflected the duality of wine: he gave joy and divine ecstasy, or brutal and blinding rage. He and his followers could not be contained by bonds. One would imagine that being the god of “good times” could be a pretty easy and happy existence. Unfortunately, this just doesn’t happen in the world of Greek mythology. Dionysus is called “twice born.” His mother, Semele, was seduced by a Greek god, but Semele did not know which god was her lover. Fully aware of her husband’s infidelity, the jealous Hera went to Semele in disguise and convinced her to see her god lover in his true form.
    [Show full text]
  • The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Coetzee and Rilke
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Debrecen Electronic Archive ACTA UNIVERSITATIS SAPIENTIAE, PHILOLOGICA, 8, 1 (2016) 41–48 DOI: 10.1515/ausp-2016-0003 The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Coetzee and Rilke Ottilia VERES Partium Christian University (Oradea, Romania) Department of English Language and Literature [email protected] Abstract. J. M. Coetzee’s The Master of Petersburg (1994) is a text about a father (Dostoevsky) mourning the death of his son. I am interested in the presence and meaning of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the novel, compared to the meaning of the myth in R. M. Rilke’s poem “Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes.” (1904). I read the unaccomplished encounter between Orpheus and Eurydice as a story that portrays the failed intersubjectity plot of Coetzee’s novel(s). Following Blanchot’s reading of the myth, I examine the contrasting Orphean and Eurydicean conducts – Orpheus desiring but, at the same time, destroying the other and Eurydice declining the other’s approach. I argue that Orpheus’s and Eurydice’s contrasting behaviours can be looked at as manifestations of a failure of love, one for its violence, the other for its neglect, and thus the presence of the myth in The Master of Petersburg is meaningful in what it says about the theme of intersubjectivity in Coetzee’s oeuvre. Keywords: Orpheus, Eurydice, encounter, intersubjectivity. J. M. Coetzee’s seventh novel, The Master of Petersburg (1994), is a novel about the trauma of losing a son; it is a mourning text both in the sense that in it the protagonist Dostoevsky tries to work through the trauma of loss (and through him Coetzee tries to work through the trauma of the loss of his own son1) and in the sense that the novel textually performs the work of mourning by trying – and failing – to understand this loss.
    [Show full text]
  • Dionysus and Ariadne in the Light of Antiocheia and Zeugma Mosaics
    Anatolia Antiqua Revue internationale d'archéologie anatolienne XXIII | 2015 Varia Dionysus and Ariadne in the light of Antiocheia and Zeugma Mosaics Şehnaz Eraslan Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/anatoliaantiqua/345 DOI: 10.4000/anatoliaantiqua.345 Publisher IFEA Printed version Date of publication: 1 June 2015 Number of pages: 55-61 ISBN: 9782362450600 ISSN: 1018-1946 Electronic reference Şehnaz Eraslan, « Dionysus and Ariadne in the light of Antiocheia and Zeugma Mosaics », Anatolia Antiqua [Online], XXIII | 2015, Online since 30 June 2018, connection on 18 December 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/anatoliaantiqua/345 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/anatoliaantiqua. 345 Anatolia Antiqua TABLE DES MATIERES Hélène BOUILLON, On the anatolian origins of some Late Bronze egyptian vessel forms 1 Agneta FRECCERO, Marble trade in Antiquity. Looking at Labraunda 11 Şehnaz ERASLAN, Dionysus and Ariadne in the light of Antiocheia and Zeugma Mosaics 55 Ergün LAFLI et Gülseren KAN ŞAHİN, Middle Byzantine ceramics from Southwestern Paphlagonia 63 Mustafa AKASLAN, Doğan DEMİRCİ et Özgür PERÇİN en collaboration avec Guy LABARRE, L’église paléochrétienne de Bindeos (Pisidie) 151 Anaïs LAMESA, La chapelle des Donateurs à Soğanlı, nouvelle fondation de la famille des Sképidès 179 Martine ASSENAT et Antoine PEREZ, Localisation et chronologie des moulins hydrauliques d’Amida. A propos d’Ammien Marcellin, XVIII, 8, 11 199 Helke KAMMERER-GROTHAUS, »Ubi Troia fuit« Atzik-Köy - Eine Theorie von Heinrich Nikolaus Ulrichs (1843)
    [Show full text]
  • Mechanical Miracles: Automata in Ancient Greek Religion
    Mechanical Miracles: Automata in Ancient Greek Religion Tatiana Bur A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy Faculty of Arts, University of Sydney Supervisor: Professor Eric Csapo March, 2016 Statement of Originality This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Tatiana Bur, March 2016. Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................... 1 A NOTE TO THE READER ................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3 PART I: THINKING ABOUT AUTOMATION .......................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1/ ELIMINATING THE BLOCAGE: ANCIENT AUTOMATA IN MODERN SCHOLARSHIP ................. 10 CHAPTER 2/ INVENTING AUTOMATION: AUTOMATA IN THE ANCIENT GREEK IMAGINATION ................. 24 PART II: AUTOMATA IN CONTEXT ................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 3/ PROCESSIONAL AUTOMATA ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Thunder Study Guide 2021 1
    BTE • Ancient Thunder Study Guide 2021 1 Ancient Thunder Study Guide In this study guide you will find all kinds of information to help you learn more about the myths that inspired BTE's original play Ancient Thunder, and about Ancient Greece and its infleunce on culture down to the present time. What is Mythology? ...................................................2 The stories the actors tell in Ancient Thunder are called myths. Learn what myths are and how they are associated with world cultures. When and where was Ancient Greece? ..................... 10 The myths in Ancient Thunder were created thousands of years ago by people who spoke Greek. Learn about where and when Ancient Greece was. What was Greek Art like? ..........................................12 Learn about what Greek art looked like and how it inspired artists who came after them. How did the Greeks make Theatre? .......................... 16 The ancient Greeks invented a form of theatre that has influenced storytelling for over two thousand years. Learn about what Greek theatre was like. What was Greek Music like? ..................................... 18 Music, chant, and song were important to Greek theatre and culture. Learn about how the Greeks made music. What are the Myths in Ancient Thunder? ................. 20 Learn more about the Greek stories that are told in Ancient Thunder. Actvities ........................................................................................................... 22 Sources ..............................................................................................................24 Meet the Cast .................................................................................................... 25 2 BTE • Ancient Thunder Study Guide 2021 What is Mythology? Myths are stories that people tell to explain and understand how things came to be and how the world works. The word myth comes from a Greek word that means story. Mythology is the study of myths.
    [Show full text]
  • 4. Icarus the Labyrinth from Which Theseus Escaped by Means of The
    4. Icarus The labyrinth from which Theseus escaped by means of the clew of Ariadne was built by Daedalus, most skillful artificer. It was an edifice with numberless winding passages and turnings opening into one another, and seeming to have neither beginning nor end, like the river Maeander, which returns on itself, and flows now onward, now backward, in its course to the sea. Daedalus built the labyrinth for King Minos, but afterward lost the favor of the king, and was shut up in a tower. He contrived to make his escape from his prison, but could not leave the island by sea, as the king kept strict watch on all the vessels and permitted none to sail without being carefully searched. "Minos may control the land and sea," said Daedalus, "but not the regions of the air. I will try that way." So he set to work to fabricate wings for himself and his young son Icarus. He wrought feathers together, beginning with the smallest and adding larger, so as to form an increasing surface. The larger ones he secured with thread and the smaller ones with wax, and gave the whole a gentle curvature like the wings of a bird. Icarus, the boy, stood and looked on, sometimes running to gather up the feathers which the wind had blown away, and then handling the wax and working it over with his fingers, by his play impeding his father in his labors. When at last the work was done, the artist, waving his wings, found himself buoyed upward and hung suspended, poising himself on the beaten air.
    [Show full text]
  • Kennedy and the Tail of Minos J
    Louisiana Law Review Volume 69 | Number 3 Spring 2009 Kennedy and the Tail of Minos J. Richardson Broughton Repository Citation J. Richardson Broughton, Kennedy and the Tail of Minos, 69 La. L. Rev. (2009) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol69/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at LSU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Louisiana Law Review by an authorized editor of LSU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Kennedy and the Tail of Minos J RichardBroughton* I. INTRODUCTION In Dante's Inferno, Minos sat as the ultimate judge of human sin.' Dante explains in Canto V that when the damned appeared in Hell, they would confess their sins to Minos, who would then wrap his tail around his body.2 The circle to which the soul was assigned was determined by the number of times that Minos wrapped his tail.3 Dante's recognition of Minos in this role was no accident: Minos, son of Zeus and Europa and king of Crete, was known as a wise and just ruler and lawgiver,4 and his role as a leading judge in the Underworld is described by Virgil 5 (who guides Dante's main character through Hell in the Inferno). Dante's description of the punishment in Hell and the procedure for receiving it provides important lessons for us with respect to the definition and administration of the criminal law. Of course, it reminds us that punishment matters, that who and to what extent we punish tells us about our morality, humanity, and our commitment to safeguarding the political community.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Iliad by Homer Translated by Robert Fagles
    from the Iliad By Homer Translated by Robert Fagles Background: Homer has long been recognized as one of the world’s greatest poets. It is likely that Homer heard singer-poets narrate tales about the Trojan War, a ten-year war waged by Greeks against the wealthy city of Troy, or Ilium, in Asia Minor. In the late 19th century, archaeologists discovered the ruins of ancient Troy. Most scholars now believe that Greek armies probably did attack Troy sometime in the 1200s B.C. Many scholars think that the Iliad was created in the 700s B.C. The Greek warrior Achilles enters the battle when his best friend, Patroclus, has been killed by the Trojan hero Hector. Achilles kills every Trojan in his path until he finally meets Hector in single combat outside the city walls. Athena1 luring him [Hector] on with all her immortal cunning— and now, at last, as the two came closing for the kill it was tall Hector, helmet flashing, who led off: “No more running from you in fear, Achilles! Not as before. Three times I fled around the great city of Priam—I lacked courage then to stand your onslaught. Now my spirit stirs me to meet you face-to-face. Now kill or be killed! Come, we’ll swear to the gods, the highest witnesses— the gods will oversee our binding pacts. I swear I will never mutilate you—merciless as you are— if Zeus2 allows me to last it out and tear your life away. But once I’ve stripped your glorious armor, Achilles, I will give your body back to your loyal comrades.
    [Show full text]
  • Phèdre: a Primer
    Phèdre: A Primer Prepared by Spencer Smith, Dramaturge and Fourth year DART student Virginia Reh, Director and DART Assistant Professor and David Vivian, Scenographer and Associate Professor, editors. Table of Contents 1) Collaboration 2) Play Synopsis 3) Director’s Notes 4) Scenographer’s Notes 5) The Playwright: Jean-Baptiste Racine 6) The Translator: Ted Hughes 7) Family Tree 8) The Myths: Theseus, Phaedra, and Hippolytus 9) The Labyrinth of Lexicon: People and Places 10) The Many Faces of Phaedra 11) Dramaturge’s Notes 12) List of Figures 13) Bibliography Phèdre: A Primer Department of Dramatic Arts Page 2 of 17 Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts February 2011 I saw the plot unfolding and me in it, Where we touched like cripples. Your first scene. The surreal mystery of our picnic quarrel Opened your performance quietly. And you had opened the vein. And recognised gold. A cry of bereavement. You had picked up the skein of blood That twitched and led you, ignoring me. Not out of the labyrinth But to the very centre, Where the Minotaur, which was waiting to kill you, Killed you. – Ted Hughes, “The Minotaur 2”i Phèdre: A Primer Department of Dramatic Arts Page 3 of 17 Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts February 2011 1) Collaboration Written by Jean-Baptiste Racine Translation by Ted Hughes A production of the Department of Dramatic Arts of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University February 17, 18, 19, 2011 at 7:30pm; February 18 at 1:00pm.
    [Show full text]